Black Hawk County in Iowa

Black Hawk County in Iowa

Waterloo in Black Hawk County

Waterloo in Black Hawk County

Cold Cases in Waterloo, Iowa

 

 

 

 

With the help of Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers, we have posted information that may assist in solving these crimes.

 

Friedrich "Fred" Widmann

Fred Widmann

Homicide
Friedrich Paul “Fred” Widmann
30 YOA
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
October 11, 1908

Fred Widmann, a Waterloo Police Department patrolman, was shot at approximately 3:10 a.m. on October 11, 1908, when he discovered burglars trying to break into the Coburn and Son Bicycle and Gun Shop behind East 4th Street in Waterloo.


Melvin Gallagher

Homicide
Melvin James (Regan) Gallagher
22 YOA
Clark Super 100 Service Station
210 Falls Ave.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
January 3, 1959

At about 5:15 a.m. on a bitterly cold Saturday morning, January 3, 1959, Melvin Gallagher was killed by a shotgun blast to the head as he prepared to end his night shift at the Clark Super 100 service station located at 210 Falls Ave. in Waterloo.


Steven Kirchhoff

Steven Kirchhoff

Missing Person
Steven Dick Kirchhoff
Age at Report: 22
Missing From: Cedar Falls, IA
Black Hawk County
Case Number: W78-850
Last Seen Alive: January 24, 1978

Steven Kirchhoff was last seen at his Cedar Falls, Iowa home on January 24, 1978, and reported missing to the Waterloo Police Department on February 5. He is missing under suspicious circumstances and is believed to have been taken against his will and killed. Authorities think his disappearance may have been drug-related.


Willie Ann Rucker

Willie Ann Rucker

Missing Person: Presumed Homicide
Willie Ann Rucker
Age at Report: 27
Incident Type: Involuntary
Missing From: Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Missing Since: April 8, 1979

On April 8, 1979, Willie Ann Rucker called her sister from a grocery store after working late and asked her to take Rucker’s three children to her apartment on West Donald Street in Waterloo, where she would meet them. She never arrived.


Viola Findley

Viola Findley

Missing Person
Viola Marie Findley
NamUS MP # 2914
Age at Report: 29
Date of Birth: December 17, 1954
Missing From: Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Last Seen Alive: September 6, 1983

Viola Marie Findley left Florida in September 1983 to head back to Waterloo, Iowa, where she lived with her children. She disappeared somewhere between Florida and Iowa and was last seen alive Sept. 6, 1983.


Joyce Jefferson

Joyce Jefferson

Homicide
Joyce Ann Jefferson
23 YOA
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Reported Missing: September 29, 1983
Body Found Deceased: October 8, 1983

Joyce Ann Jefferson, a 23-year-old mother of three young children, was reported missing from Waterloo, Iowa on Sept. 29, 1983. Her body was found in a ditch along Black Hawk Road in southwest Waterloo on Oct. 8, 1983.


Jo Jo Zolliecoffer

Jo Jo Zolliecoffer

Homicide
Jeffery “Jo Jo” Zolliecoffer
23 YOA
Cedar River
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
September 7, 1989

The body of 23-year-old Waterloo resident Jeffery “Jo Jo” Zolliecoffer — weighted down with concrete blocks — was pulled from the Cedar River north of Waterloo’s business district on September 15, 1989. Missing since September 7, Zolliecoffer had been shot three times, including once in the back of the head.


Missing Person
Daniel John Andersen
DOB: July 9, 1987
Age At Report: 4
Weight: 50 lbs.
Height: 3’00″
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Incident Type: Child lost/wandered away
Missing From: Waterloo
Black Hawk County
Agency: Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office
Missing Since: January 25, 1992

Daniel J. Andersen, four years of age, was reported missing to the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office in Waterloo, Iowa, on January 25, 1992.


Cartha “Jack” Pearson

Homicide
Cartha “Jack” Pearson
26 YOA
Alley between 100 block of Sumner and Cottage Streets
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
July 29, 1993

Cartha “Jack” Pearson, 26, of 714 South View Drive in Waterloo, Iowa, was found dead in his car Thursday, July 29, 1993, from bullet wounds to his stomach and chest.


Diane Courbat

Diane Courbat

Homicide
Diane Courbat
34 YOA
Cedar River Exchange Park parking lot
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
Crime Date: Tuesday, August 3, 1993
Date of Death: Friday, August 6, 1993

Diane Courbat, 34, was shot in the head in the early morning hours on Tuesday, August 3, 1993. Two Waterloo police officers on routine patrol found Courbat lying in the northwest parking lot of the Cedar River Exchange Park at about 2:30 a.m.


Dariusz Szczeponek

Dariusz Szczeponek

Homicide
Dariusz “Darek” Szczeponek
25 YOA
Annie’s Launderette
819 Sycamore St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
September 29, 1993

Dariusz “Darek” Szczeponek, a 25-year-old University of Northern Iowa student, was shot to death Wednesday night, September 29, 1993, at Annie’s Launderette on 819 Sycamore St. in Waterloo, Iowa, during an apparent robbery attempt.


Gladys (Rogers) Held

Homicide
Gladys Dorothy Held
83 YOA
Walnut Court Retirement Home
315 Walnut St., Apt. 321
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
December 8, 1993

Gladys D. Held, an 83-year-old retired personal secretary, was beaten and strangled at a Waterloo senior citizens home around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 1993.


Homicide
Jacob “Jake” Biretz
87 YOA
311 Lafayette St., Apt. B
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
December 10, 1993

Jacob “Jake” Biretz, an 87-year-old retired mechanic, was found dead in his apartment at a Waterloo retirement home on Friday, December 10, 1993. Biretz was found on his sofa, his arms crossed over his chest. He’d been suffocated with a pillow. According to his death certificate, it took several minutes for him to die.


Richard Forsyth

Richard Forsyth

Missing Person
Richard Neil Forsyth
Age at Report: 41
DOB: Aug. 11, 1952
Missing From: Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Case Number: W78-850
Missing Since: January 13, 1994

Richard Forsyth was seen in Waterloo, Iowa on Oct. 18, 1979, leaving his apartment and carrying something wrapped in a rug. He disappeared around the same time another Waterloo man, Steven Kirchhoff, vanished. Kirchhoff’s family tracked Forsyth to an uncle’s home in Arizona, but Forsyth vanished again and was reported missing to Waterloo police on Jan. 13, 1994.


Angela Buck

Angela Buck

Homicide
Angela Renee Buck
37 YOA
Waterloo/Dunkerton, IA
Black Hawk County
August 9, 1995

Angela Buck, 37, of Waterloo, was shot in the chest on Wednesday, August 9, 1995, and dumped under a bridge near a creek on N. Pilot Grove Road east of Waterloo, Iowa. Two men looking to set turtle traps stumbled upon her body two days later.


Hit-and-Run Homicide
Ruben Lara, Jr.
40 YOA
Highway 218
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
December 8, 2000

Ruben Lara Jr., a 40-year-old construction worker who lived at 3450 Ellington St. in Waterloo, was killed in a hit-and-run homicide early Friday morning, Dec. 8, 2000, while walking along Highway 218 south of Shaulis Road.


Shawn Michael North

Shawn M. North

Homicide
Shawn Michael North
30 YOA (at the time of crime)
45 YOA (at time of death)
1200 block of Doreen Ave.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Date of Death: August 30, 2016
Date of Crime: May 21, 2001

Shawn Michael North, 30, was shot in the 1200 block of Doreen Avenue in Waterloo around 1:35 a.m. on May 21, 2001. The shooting left Shawn a paraplegic, and 15 years later on Aug. 30, 2016, Shawn died at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital from complications arising from the 15-year-old gunshot wounds. Waterloo police shifted his case from an aggravated assault to a homicide.


Double Homicide
Martavious “Tay” DeShaun Robinson, 20
Calvin Maurice Rash, 29
408 Thompson Ave.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
September 21, 2002

On Saturday, September 21, 2002, Martavious “Tay” DeShaun Robinson, 20, of Waterloo, and Calvin Maurice Rash, 29, of Chicago, were shot to death as they left the home of an acquaintance at 408 Thompson Ave. in Waterloo.


Rhiannon Olson

Alonzo Quinn

Alonzo Quinn

Double Homicide
Alonzo Nakia Quinn, 27
Rhiannon Marie Olsen, 22
Full-term (9 months) unborn child
1001 Hartman Avenue
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
January 2, 2003

On January 3, 2003, Waterloo police discovered the bodies of Alonzo Nakia Quinn, 27, and Rhiannon Marie Olsen, 22, inside Quinn’s home on Hartman Avenue. Olsen was nine months pregnant with Quinn’s child. Both Quinn and Olsen had been shot to death. The full-term unborn child did not survive. The medical examiner placed their deaths as January 2.


Terence Currington

Terence Currington

Homicide
Terence Dwayne Currington
20 YOA
400 block of Adams St.
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
August 7, 2003

Terence Dwayne Currington, 20, was shot about six blocks from his Waterloo, Iowa home after stopping his car to talk to friends. Currington, who lived at 1019 Adams Street, had stopped in the middle of the 400 block of Adams Street about 11:30 p.m. when another car pulled up beside him. Shouts between the two vehicles were exchanged and then shots rang out. Currington’s vehicle traveled a short distance down the block before hitting a tree on the parking strip of 415 Adams Street.


L.C. Matlock

L.C. Matlock

Missing Person:
L.C. Matlock
Age at Report: 37
Missing From: Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Missing Since: July 5, 2004

On July 5, 2004, 37-year-old L.C. Matlock walked across the Mullen Avenue Bridge in Waterloo, Iowa, and was never seen nor heard from again.

 


Taveros Galloway

Homicide
Taveros “Dino” DeShaun Galloway
29 YOA
500 block of Courtland St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
February 10, 2009

Taveros “Dino” Galloway, a 29-year-old father of four, was shot in the head about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, February 10, 2009, while driving his GMC Yukon in the 500 block of Courtland Street in Waterloo, Iowa. The SUV kept moving for about two blocks before coming to a stop in a yard.


John Parham, Jr.

John Parham, Jr.

Homicide
John Marvin Parham, Jr.
58 YOA
413 Ricker Street
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
June 24, 2010

On June 24th, 2010, officers with the Waterloo Police Department responded to a report of a shooting in progress at 413 Ricker Street. Upon their arrival, they located John Parham Jr. shot in the front yard.


Rodricus Echols

Homicide
Rodricus Keith Echols (Jones)
aka Rodricus Keith Jones
23 YOA
912 Broadway St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
September 12, 2010

Robert Keith Echols Jones, 23, was shot in the 900 block of Broadway St. in Waterloo, Iowa, at about 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, September 12, 2010.


Martavious Johnson

Martavious Johnson

Homicide
Martavious Taveros Johnson
17 YOA
500 block Sumner St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
January 5, 2012

Martavious Taveros “Tay Tay” Johnson, a 17-year-old former football player for East High School in Waterloo, was shot in the back on Thursday, January 5, 2012, after cracking a joke.


Becky Lawless

Becky Lawless

Hit-and-Run Homicide
Becky Simpson Lawless
59 YOA
Washington St. and W. Mullan Ave.
Waterloo, IA
April 9, 2012

Becky Simpson Lawless, 59, of Waterloo, was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the early morning hours on Monday, April 9, 2012. The incident happened in the area of Washington Street and West Mullan Avenue in Waterloo as Lawless made her way home from a local tavern. 


Shantorio Evans

Shantorio Evans

Homicide
Shantorio Vashawn “Shaun” Evans
22 YOA
1600 Block of Broadway St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
December 2, 2012

On Sunday morning, December 2, 2012, Shantorio Vashawn Evans, 22, was a passenger in a westbound minivan traveling in the 1600 block of Broadway Street in Waterloo when a second vehicle pulled up alongside the van and opened fire, hitting Evans multiple times.


Dennis Washburn

Dennis Washburn

Undetermined
Dennis D. Washburn
69 YOA
Edwards Street near
Longfellow Elementary School
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
May 25, 2014

Dennis Dwaine Washburn — a 69-year-old United States Navy and Vietnam War veteran who didn’t have a vehicle and walked with the assistance of a walker — was found unconscious with head injuries near Longfellow Elementary School in Waterloo, Iowa, on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014. Washburn sustained blunt force trauma injuries and a broken neck and died from his injuries early Thursday, June 5, 2014.


Randy Dawson

Randy Dawson

Homicide
Randall “Randy” Scott Dawson
52 YOA
302 E. 10th St.
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
December 24, 2014

Randall “Randy” Scott Dawson, 52, was shot multiple times at his Waterloo home on Christmas Eve, 2014.


Justin Dollen

Justin Dollen

Homicide
Justin M. Dollen
27 YOA
Fantasy Theater
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
August 30, 2015

Justin Montravious Dollen, 27, was shot outside the Fantasy Theater on Airline Highway in Waterloo early Sunday morning, Aug. 30, 2015. Authorities said the shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. Sunday and that Dollen sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was transferred to Iowa City from an area hospital and died a short time later from his injuries.


Darrell D. Lanier

Homicide
Darrell De’Shaye Lanier
22 YOA
400 block of Rhey Street
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
Crime Date: Nov. 1, 2016
Died: Nov. 4, 2016

Darrell De’Shaye Lanier, 22, of Waterloo, was shot multiple times on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, after leaving his cousin’s house to walk home. The lifelong Waterloo resident was about three blocks from his home when he was shot and collapsed. He lingered unconscious at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital for three days and underwent two surgeries before dying early Friday from internal injuries associated with the bullet wounds, police said.


Denelius Nesby

Denelius Nesby

Homicide
Denelius “House” Nesby
55 YOA
700 block of Logan Avenue
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
January 22, 2017

Denelius Nesby, 55, was shot multiple times in a Waterloo, Iowa, parking lot on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Officers were called to the 700 block of Logan Avenue for a report of gunfire around 5:05 a.m. Sunday, and found Nesby on the ground near a car parked in the lot to the south of Greer Funeral Home. Late in March 2017, Waterloo police released several surveillance camera images taken the night of Nesby’s murder and asked the public for help in identifying the people in the photos. Investigators believe the men pictured have information about the case.


Mikaela Bond Hill

Mikaela Bond Hill

Homicide
Mikaela Bond Hill
22 YOA
717 Hope Avenue
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
June 3, 2017

Mikaela Bond Hill, a 22-year-old mother of three young children, was shot early on Saturday, June 3, 2017, in her Waterloo home. Police said someone fired into the bedroom window of Mikaela Bond Hill’s rented Hope Avenue home in the early morning hours of June 3. Bond’s boyfriend and her three children were in the house, but she was the only one hit by the gunfire.


Fredrick Webber

Fredrick Webber

Homicide
Fredrick Dewayne Webber
33 YOA
100 block of Center Street
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
July 14, 2017

Fredrick “Dewayne” Webber, a 33-year-old passenger in a sport utility vehicle, died after being struck by gunfire around 3:55 p.m. Friday, July 14, 2017, in Waterloo, Iowa. Webber, a father of three who resided in Waterloo, was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City where he was pronounced dead. Officials identified the wounded driver as 20-year-old Robert Coffer, who was being treated at the same Iowa City hospital but expected to survive.


Gregory Walker Jr.

Greg Walker

Homicide
Gregory K. Walker Jr.
33 YOA
639 Gable Street
Waterloo, IA
Black Hawk County
May 19, 2018

Gregory Kent Walker Jr., a 33-year-old father of four, was shot in Waterloo in the early morning hours on Saturday, May 19, 2018. Officers responded to the shooting at 639 Gable Street around 5:16 a.m., treated the victim at the scene, and then rushed Walker to Allen Hospital, where he died.


Diane Martin

Homicide
Diane Martin
48 YOA
84 Ricker St.
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
September 10, 2018

Diane Martin, 48, was shot in her Waterloo home around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. She was later pronounced dead at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital. On September 12th, 2018 an autopsy was conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office and determined Diane Martin died as the result of a single gunshot wound, police announced in a press release. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information in Diane’s death.


Micalla Rettinger

Micalla Rettinger

Homicide
Micalla Rettinger
25 YOA
U.S. Highway 218
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
April 28, 2019

Micalla A. Rettinger, a 25-year-old former star UNI softball player, was driving south on Highway 218 near the Brinker Lake and Cedar River bridges in Waterloo when a single bullet pierced through her driver’s side window and hit her in the neck early Sunday, April 28, 2019. She died instantly.

The bullet then struck her boyfriend, 32-year-old Adam Kimball, in the face. A second passenger, along with Rettinger and Kimball’s dog, King, were riding in the vehicle’s back seat but were not injured. There is a significant reward offered for information in this case.


Marquavion Brown

Homicide
Marquavion D. Brown
19 YOA
265 Madison St.
Waterloo, Iowa
Black Hawk County
November 23, 2019

Marquavion D. Brown, 19, was shot to death in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, while sitting in a car with a friend. Also injured in the shooting was 21-year-old Quintorey Farshawn D’Quan Kemp, who, along with Brown, was transported to UnityPoint-Allen Hospital, where Brown was pronounced dead. Kemp was then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City for further treatment.


25 Responses to Waterloo

  1. marlene buss says:

    My son Dayton Matlock was murdered may 15 2021 in waterloo iowa and nothing done or said about him

  2. Shanna says:

    You ever to go. Back and look at some of your old cases you’ll realize they can solve alot of newer ones

  3. anon says:

    There is one who should be included here. Deborah Dawn Sadler was born July 9, 1964 and died December 1, 1965. Someone bashed her to death and the county medical examiner bought the ludicrous story that she “fell” from a chair. I contacted the cops who weren’t interested in doing anything since the autopsy hadn’t been preserved (here in Wisconsin where I live coroners records can never be disposed of, unlike in Iowa). I also contacted her younger sister (born of her mother’s second marriage) who apparently lacks interest in bringing the perp to justice.

  4. anon says:

    There is also the murder of Deborah Dawn Sadler of Waterloo, age 17 months, whose head was bashed in back in 1965. Of course the authorities had their heads in the sand and pretended it was an accident. Funny how kids no longer die from falls from chairs.

    Here is the story from the Waterloo Daily Courier (Waterloo, Iowa), 2 December 1965, pg 1, 2:

    Child’s Death is Probed

    Police Thursday afternoon continued their investigation of the death of a 17-month-old girl.

    Deborah Dawn Sadler, of 1009 Bluff St., died at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday at Allen Memorial Hospital.

    According to Dr. Paul T. O’Keefe, county medical examiner, the girl died of a massive brain hemorrhage which could have been caused by a fall or a blow on the head.

    Dr. O’Keefe said he tentatively has ruled the death as accidental.

    Says Fell from Chair
    Police said the girl’s mother, Mrs. Lorraine Sadler, told them the baby fell from a chair Wednesday morning and hit her head.

    She said the baby was unconscious after the fall and that she took her to the hospital.

    Police, who said Thursday morning they had no evidence of foul play, intended to continue their investigation during the afternoon.

    There are no other children in the family.

    Services Friday
    Funeral services for Deborah are planned at 2 p.m. Friday at Bethel United Presbyterian church. The Rev. Earl D. McCrae, pastor, will officiate.

    The casket, which will be taken from the Kearns-Dykeman Chapel to the church at 12:30 p.m., will not be opened at any time.

    Born in Waterloo
    The girl was born here July 9, 1964, daughter of Charles and Lorraine Spiering Sadler.

    Surviving besides the parents are the maternal grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. Robert C. Spiering, 911 W. 2nd St.; the maternal great-grandmothers, Mrs. Claire Lowe, Casper, Wyo., and Mrs. Matilda Kolashefsky, Madison, S.D., and the paternal great-grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Sadler, Jacksonville, Wis.

    • The other Anonymous says:

      Well, if you are going to kill or neglect your baby, having a Doctor as your father may certainly help getting some strings pulled with the ME. Especially in a small rural city.

    • Diamond campbell says:

      WHERE EVERYBODY AT ?

  5. Norman Carpenter says:

    I was witness to a confession to the murder of Melvin Gallagher by one of the participants to my mother while living in RR Black Hawk county south west of Eagle Center, Iowa. “Bub” White a cousin by my fathers ‘aunts’ grandson was “laying low” because he and his father ‘Bob’ White had killed a service station man in Waterloo with a 20 ga shotgun while robbing a gas station. Bub was at my mothers’ house during the following fall coon hunting season and this was his way of “laying low” to get the heat off. I have tried for the last eight or so years to clear this matter up with the Waterloo police, the last contact as late as last summer. No confirmations or actions acknowled by same.

    • Kelly Bush says:

      WPD, Has this tip not been followed up on?

      • anon says:

        Because the cops are dumb as a box of a rocks, stupid, and not accountable to anyone.

      • anon says:

        Kelly, the WPD had no interest in reopening the death of Debra Dawn Sadler mentioned in a comment below when I got in contact with them. They apparently believed the mother’s story that she had died of massive head injuries after falling off of a chair. Incompetent fools. I grew up in Eau Claire Wisconsin where back in the 1960’s the cops weren’t buying into anyone’s story about a baby falling down and dying- in Eau Claire this stuff got prosecuted as child abuse even back in the 1960’s. I know that you are commenting about a NON-child case, but the WPD’s pattern of not following up and not doing their jobs is demonstrated by their nonchalance about a baby being beaten to death.

  6. Joninice says:

    Mikaela Bond Hill was killed this year in June. There were no arrests. Do you have any updates about her case?

  7. Laura Edmondson says:

    Where is Randy Dawson?

  8. Dawna Lindsey says:

    I knew Ann Rucker is her case still open? I think of her often . Is there any new leads in her case ?

    • Jody Ewing says:

      Dawna, Willie Ann Rucker’s case remains open. I’m not aware of any recent developments in her unsolved disappearance. Police had a suspect, but without a body it would have proved difficult to prosecute him.

  9. Jeremiah schimmel says:

    I personally knew the murder suspect John dewey Brannanand have known him for years. He did not commit suicide because of this. This Ronald Butler was not the innocent. He in fact was a pedophile. John.before he died went into great deal about what happened that day. Its unfortunate for Mr.butlers family that this happened. But Mr Butler should have been locked up long bfore this happen. Go to the black hawk county paper archives and query Ronald Butlers name we was arrested a couple times for crimes against children

    • Danny Vaulter says:

      Butler had a mental illness that drove him into sexual encounters. I would not call him a pedophile as he preferred young adults and teenagers, but as he grew older his actions became more aggressive and irrational. Before his death he had been in jail in Waterloo twice for sexual assault. I would class the first as the rape of a very young teenager. The second was of a young man who defended himself and called the police. If anyone really cared Butler would have committed to a mental hospital and might be alive there today. The kid who killed him was certainly being sexually attacked at the time. If a woman stabbed the man raping her she would be lauded as a heroine. The boy who killed him, if still alive, was not so praised. He lived or lives in an emotional state which makes or made him a perpetual victim. Something he would not have or had to endure if someone in authority had cared enough, if nothing else than keeping a well ordered society, to have gotten Butler proper medical care.

  10. Linda says:

    How is a case “closed” when no one was found responsible for his death? Ronald Butler was a person and on that note the killer should be brought to justice. I thought they remained open until someone was sentenced. Is this a cover up or just not careing?

    • Jody Ewing says:

      Linda,

      According to Capt. Pillack, the prime suspect in Ronald’s murder committed suicide when he learned the Waterloo PD was going to file (murder) charges against him. The Waterloo PD was confident this particular individual was responsible, and closed the case once he committed suicide because they could no longer move forward with prosecution.

      Normally, unsolved murders “do” remain open until someone is convicted and sentenced, but officials will also “close” a case when it becomes clearly evident that the known perpetrator can no longer be tried for the crime (usually because he or she has since died). Were the suspect still alive and serving time in prison for another crime (even a life sentence) he or she could “still” be brought forward to stand trial on the new charges.

      The Waterloo Police Dept. cared very much about Ronald’s case, and investigators worked hard to compile the needed evidence to charge the person responsible for his death. It’s so unfortunate (for not just Ronald, but his family, friends and loved ones) that the suspect not only robbed Ronald of his life, but also stole the opportunity for Ronald’s loved ones to find some kind of closure in what very well may have been a successful prosecution and conviction.

      You’ve raised an important concern here, though, and I’m thinking perhaps our website should add a special section to include cases such as Ronald’s where they may be closed but where justice was not able to be served.

      I’m so very sorry for your loss, and thank you for taking the time to write — and to give me food for thought.

      All my best,

      Jody

      • David Weldon says:

        I knew Ron Butler as well as anyone did. I was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front at UNI and that attempt at a group morphed into something like a commune on Olive Street. People would show up at odd hours, like the City Attorney for Cedar Falls and Ron Butler. As I was almost the only gay person who showed him compassion he chose me for a confidant. He was a sex addict and was constantly seeking sex with males in outrageous ways. The gay community in Waterloo knew him and held him in contempt it was felt that he put us in a bad light. He told me once that he had assaulted his paper boy. I believed him but didn’t get any more details. He was on speed during the last year of his life trying to loose weight but he was also using street drugs to get boys, a technique he got from Robert (Pinky) Tate. The speed made his behavior even less controlled than it had been and it was never very controlled. No one was surprised that he was killed only that it had finally happened. And no one was sorry, but then all the East Side kids I knew then had been victims of sexual assaults and outright rapes during their childhoods so they didn’t have any sympathy for sex offenders.

        • Moj Harris says:

          I personally knew Ronald Butler. He, I, and another friend grew up together, came out together, and while we approached our new liberation differently were all extremely close to him till his death.

          While you seem to know some aspects of his personality you are making a lot of assumptions that are not true.

          Ronnie (Venelda) as we called him was raised by a loving, however stern, mother. Ronnie was a gifted pianist and a socially awkward person who remained immature and so a risk taker. He was adopted. He was loved by many straight and gay people. He was in great demand to play piano in area churches. He attended college in Wisconsin.

          We all grew up, as did other black gays from Waterloo, with loving and old fashioned parents. The north end was not a hotbed of sexual abuse.

          In fact black people, in my experience, were much more sexually conservative than white people…which is why so many gay kids gravitated to white guys.

          Based on my knowledge the guy the police were looking at is very likely his killer. I consider the case solved.

          • David Weldon says:

            Ron was in my home many times, he liked my company and would pick me up before going on his ‘adventures’, I think he was using me as a sort of body guard. Every thing I have written about him are things that he told me or I saw in person. Everyone has a secret life he may well have had one from you as well. You do know during the last year of his life when he lost all that weight he was taking meth all the time don’t you. And he was offering drugs to white boys for sex, something he picked up from Bob Tate. I was told or saw everything I have written about. Butler had mental disorder which drove him seek sex constantly. I don’t know that there was even a diagnosis for it then but it well recognized today. He needed to be hospitalized and a treatment plan made for him. By the way even used my address as a drop box for letters when he put ads in the an early form of grinder in print.
            As far as Waterloo is concerned, in my experience I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find someone who wasn’t raped in childhood, black or white.

  11. Mike says:

    A cold case that’s not on your website is Martavis “Tay” Robinson.

    • Jody Ewing says:

      Thanks for letting us know, Mike. I’ll look into it and get a page for him added asap. Any other info you could offer (as well as photos) would be greatly appreciated. All best, Jody

  12. Linda says:

    Ronald Butler was killed around 1973 over some alledged child molestation case. He lived on sumner st. and it was never solved as I know about. I can’t find anything on it.
    I’d like to know if they ever did solve it. thank you.

    • Jody Ewing says:

      Linda, on May 11, 2012, Captain Tim Pillack of the Waterloo Police Investigations Division reported to Iowa Cold Cases that Ronald Butler’s homicide was designated “closed” in June of 2006.

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